The fourth and final preparation day...
What really stood out today was listening to three adoptive parents talking about their experiences adopting. It was a privilige to hear their stories - the good and the not so good - the waiting, the frustrations, the tears and the laughter. They had very different stories, but some common threads... the intrusion of the home assessment; the frustrations in waiting for a match; the heartache of being truned down by a child's social worker in favour of another couple; the range of emotions when you visit your new child, and eventually take them home...
So, what now?
We now wait for a letter from the adoption agency inviting us to make a formal application - hopefully in the next few weeks. We then formally apply.
We're then assigned a social worker, who will come and visit us over a 4 or 5 month period - to get under our skin, find out what makes us tick, and measure us against the national competencies - and hopefully come to the conclusion that we are suitable to be adoptive parents...
So come late spring / early summer, we should be going to the adoption panel for approval as adoptive parents. Then the matching process starts - which could take weeks, months, or longer...
So, I think it feels like we've taken another small step on the journey towards parenthood. But there is a long way to go yet... one small step at a time!
2 comments:
Gosh, this is such a long process, but then I guess it needs to be, to make sure the children are going to suitable people.
You are certainly being tested and taught in the patience department.
Much love to you both.
I wish you the very best of EVERYTHING you need in this whole process. I have no doubts that God is with you in this.
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